Natasha Miller: Press

(excerpt from longer story, following below)
The great surprise of Sunday, and, for many, the highlight of the weekend, was jazz stylist Natasha Miller, performing in the Starbuck’s Coffee House Gallery. Accompanying herself on violin, and backed by a superb 8-piece mini-orchestra of strings, horns, piano and drums, Miller’s performance was luminous, as she sang extraordinary love songs and ballads such as “Snow Covers the Valley,” and “You Don’t Have to Learn to Sing the Blues,” each a Bobby Sharp composition. Lush and sultry, the Alameda-based songstress discovered a treasure in the Bobby Sharp songbook, eleven songs of which she released in her 2004 CD I Had a Feelin’. Sharp, now 80, has been penning musical treasures since the 50’s, but has lived in relative obscurity until this recent collaboration with Miller. His one composition to make hit status was “Unchain My Heart,” recorded by Ray Charles in 1961. Each song was beautifully phrased with Miller’s radiant voice caressing

each lyric. At the close of the performance, she called Sharp to the stage. Fans parted as the diminutive Sharp, clad simply in jeans and a plaid shirt, made his way to the stage, and took a seat at the piano. What followed was magical, as he sang and played, to a hushed, standing-room-only crowd, two gems, “Lonesome Traveler,” and “Who Among You Has Touched a Rainbow.” If the Festival presented no other performances, this one alone was worth the price of admission.

Full story:

MONTEREY JAMS WITH JAZZ AT 48TH ANNUAL FESTIVAL
by Barbara Smith
“What a night!” Tony Bennett beamed from onstage during his brilliant Saturday night performance at the Monterey Jazz Festival, held September 16-18. And for three jazz-soaked days, fans were exclaiming, “What a weekend!” Blue skies by day, a full moon by night, six stages teeming with the likes of jazz luminaries Bennett, Sonny Rollins, John Handy, Carla Bley, Branford Marsalis, Christian McBride, Larry Carlton, Russell Malone: this year’s MCI-sponsored Monterey Jazz Festival ranks with the best in its 48-year history.
Alto saxophonist John Handy and his 40th Anniversary Quartet kicked things off Friday night with a scorching set that showcased his passion for world fusion. Carlos Reyes provided show-stopping accompaniment on violin and harp. The night, however, belonged to tenor sax giant Sonny Rollins. Rollins, who played at the first Monterey Jazz Festival in 1958, remains one of the all-time greats in jazz. “We were here for the beginning and we’ll be here for the end,” effused the 75-year-old Rollins as his luxurious, joyful set blew and had fans dancing in the aisles until well after midnight. The red pants-clad Rollins pranced about the stage in a nearly non-stop performance featuring favorites including “Airegin,” and “Tenor Madness.” “He looks like he was born with a horn handing out of his mouth,” one breathless fan sighed.
Saturday afternoon’s crowd “had church,” with Mavis Staples and family performing power packed gospel and soul in the Jimmy Lyons arena and later on the Garden Stage. Hearing these spiritually-based stars perform makes one feel that all’s right with the world. Staples’ explosive voice and style is as powerful as ever and she brought the crowd to their feet several

times with hits from the past including “I’ll Take You There” and “Respect Yourself.” Their message-soaked music had special meaning in the wake of the Katrina aftermath, with two songs in particular, “Have a Little Faith,” and “God is Not Sleeping.” Staples dedicated the latter to “our friends in New Orleans,” reminding fans once more of the healing properties of music.
Sharon Jones and the dapper Dap-Kings introduced the Saturday set and rocked the house with a blues/soul/funk fest that sizzled. Later, guitar virtuoso Larry Carlton tore it up onstage, bringing on Bay Area vocalist Ledisi, whose triumphant cry, “I made it to the big stage!” brought whistles and cheers. Amazingly, Carlton said, this was their first performance together and they’d had no rehearsal. Nevertheless, Ledisi set the stage on fire with two Aretha Franklin classics, “Chain of Fools” and “Natural Woman,” then concluded with the super sexy “Rock Me Baby.” When she left the stage, the crowd was screaming for more.
The great surprise of Sunday, and, for many, the highlight of the weekend, was jazz stylist Natasha Miller, performing in the Starbuck’s Coffee House Gallery. Accompanying herself on violin, and backed by a superb 8-piece mini-orchestra of strings, horns, piano and drums, Miller’s performance was luminous, as she sang extraordinary love songs and ballads such as “Snow Covers the Valley,” and “You Don’t Have to Learn to Sing the Blues,” each a Bobby Sharp composition. Lush and sultry, the Alameda-based songstress discovered a treasure in the Bobby Sharp songbook, eleven songs of which she released in her 2004 CD I Had a Feelin’. Sharp, now 80, has been penning musical treasures since the 50’s, but has lived in relative obscurity until this recent collaboration with Miller. His one composition to make hit status was “Unchain My Heart,” recorded by Ray Charles in 1961. Each song was beautifully phrased with Miller’s radiant voice caressing

each lyric. At the close of the performance, she called Sharp to the stage. Fans parted as the diminutive Sharp, clad simply in jeans and a plaid shirt, made his way to the stage, and took a seat at the piano. What followed was magical, as he sang and played, to a hushed, standing-room-only crowd, two gems, “Lonesome Traveler,” and “Who Among You Has Touched a Rainbow.” If the Festival presented no other performances, this one alone was worth the price of admission.
The mantra for Sunday’s program could have been “so much music, so little time,” with a plethora of class acts performing at different venues at the same time. With artist-in-residence Branford Marsalis taking center stage in the Jimmy Lyons arena, and Kyle Eastwood (yes, Clint’s son), and his band holding forth in Dizzy’s Den, and bassist Christian McBride performing at Bill Berry’s Night Club, fans faced the perennial dilemma of how to do it all.
One jazz critic dubbed the festival a “love fest,” and indeed fans showed their love by contributing some $10,000 to the Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund. In addition, festival-goers were moved to help Grammy-winning jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker, who was recently diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and is in need of a stem cell transplant. A tent was set up for potential donors to be tested to find a match for Brecker and others in need of this life-saving procedure.
“It’s an event. It’s an experience we never miss,” said Myra Callaway of Union City, who has been coming to the Festival with husband Bill for 30 years. “This year is one of the best,” she added. “Today was a ‘who’s who’ in jazz—all in one afternoon! We’ll definitely be back next year.”